Pakistan’s newly appointed head coach, Gary Kirsten joined the ‘Men in Green’ in Leeds ahead of their upcoming four-match T20I series against England. Team manager Wahab Riaz, captain Babar Azam and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood welcomed the new head coach. Kirsten was also presented with a team jersey after he linked up with the team. Kirsten joined the team after his stint with the Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Gujarat Titans ended. GT ended the campaign in the eighth spot with 12 points and a net run rate of -1.063. The former South Africa cricketer was announced as Pakistan’s limited-over head coach last month. During his playing days which lasted from 1993 to 2004, Kirsten made 101 Test and 185 ODI appearances for the Proteas. He amassed 14,087 runs and 34 centuries across both formats.
In Test format, he scored 7,289 runs at an average of 45.3 and a strike rate of 43.4. Out of 34 tons, he has 21 tons in the red ball format. In the ODIs, he has 6,798 runs at an average of 41.0 and a strike rate of 72.0.
Kirsten has had a fair share of experience in the managerial role. He served as the head coach of Pakistan’s arch-rival India from 2008 to 2011.
It was under his reign, that India lifted the 2011 World Cup trophy on their home soil and ended their 28 years of wait. India also became the number-one team in the ICC Test rankings during his stint.
Kirsten will look to inspire the Pakistan team to the World Cup glory. Their upcoming four-match series against England will help them prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The T20I series will begin on May 22 in Headingley Carnegie and will conclude on May 30 in London.
Out of 19 teams, Pakistan are the only team that hasn’t announced their squad for the marquee event in June in the USA and the West Indies.
For the marquee event in June, Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside USA, India, Canada and Ireland. The Men in Green will kick off their campaign against the USA on June 6 and will face arch-rival India on June 9 at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York.
Pakistan squad for the England series: Babar Azam (C), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.
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